Born Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke Ellington was one of the founding fathers of jazz music. He started playing piano at the age of seven, and by the time he was 15, he was composing. A pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer, Ellington and his band played together for 50 years. Some of Ellington's most famous songs include "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Sophisticated Lady" and "In a Sentimental Mood."


Duke Ellington wrote music night and day. Although he was a pianist, it was said that his real instrument was his band and the gifted musicians with whom he worked. His drummer, Sonny Greer, was with the band from the beginning; second trombonist Juan Tizol was a Puerto Rican musician who added a little Latin influence to the band; trombonist Lawrence Brown joined the band in 1932 and stayed for 19 years; and Ray Nance played both the violin and trumpet. Mary Lou Williams, one of the great women in jazz, arranged music for Ellington.

Ellington may not have needed help writing music, but his partnership with Billy Strayhorn is considered one of the most important in American music. Strayhorn, who joined the band in 1939, composed and co-wrote some of the most famous pieces associated with Ellington, including the band's theme song, "Take the 'A' Train." Their partnership worked so smoothly that they were even able to write songs over the telephone. In his autobiography, Music Is My Mistress, Ellington refers to Strayhorn as "...my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine."

The Duke Ellington Orchestra was on the road for 50 years and kept up an incredible schedule. The band often performed two shows a day and sometimes even added in a recording session. Ellington's music was familiar to people in the U.S. and abroad--no place was too small or too grand for "the Duke," as he was known, to play. Over the years Ellington worked with many famous people, including Irving Berlin, Florenz Ziegfeld, Al Jolson, Lena Horn, Ella Fitzgerald, Max Roach, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Bing Crosby, and many more. Ellington and his band kept up their fast-paced touring schedule into the early 1970s.